'Thank you all:' Ceremony held for staff, first responders who helped save Franklin HS students' life

FRANKLIN -- It was a scary day at Franklin High School on January 2.

"First block of the day on the first day back from holiday break," says teacher Ryan DePouw. "There was quite the sense of urgency upon the realization we were facing an emergency."

Just back from break when panic grew in DePouw's classroom, a student in his class was in cardiac arrest and another student hit an emergency response button. DePouw darted down the hall for an AED.

"It feels like a blur now, looking back at it," says Jordan Hein, Franklin High School athletic director. "The student wasn't breathing, couldn't find any sort of a pulse."

It didn't take long for the school's emergency response teams to respond, followed by first responders -- keeping calm in the middle of chaos to help save a student's life.

"They were doing everything rights," says nurse Lori O'Neil.

Franklin teachers and staff, along with firefighters and police, were honored Jan. 29 for their quick thinking and teamwork earlier in the month.

 

The student, Hunter, and his family released a statement read at the ceremony:

Lucky to be alive thanks to a team.

"Obviously, you can't be more grateful that things worked out as positively as they did," says DePouw.

Hunter and his family say they want the focus of the scary experience to be on the people who helped save his life. He's had a defibrillator placed into his chest. The family donated to the school with the hopes it could help more staff members become emergency responders.